Recommended Posts

I'd like to welcome you to the first of a series of Java tutorials hand written by yours truly. They are going to be a Lordcraft exclusive and hopefully, everyone will find them useful. Going through these tutorials, I'll be assuming each and every one of you is brand new to both programming and Java. If you are already well versed in either of these subjects, feel free to wait around for the next bit of tutorials.

------- *** -------

Chapter I: Preparing Your System

In order to get started with Java programming, you need a few tools installed on your system. Depending on your operating system, you may install things a little bit different then I am. I am using a Windows based laptop, so I'll be showing how a Windows user will setup their system. However, if you use a Mac or run Linux, comment below and I'll help you install everything.

I listed five programs above that you guys may be interested in. Right now, you probably have no idea what a JDK or IDE is, and that's okay. We'll go over that. For now, I recommend you download JDK 8 and Netbeans. I'll be using Netbeans in all of my tutorials since my university requires my program of study to use it for the Java language. Plus, it's super easy to use.

Installing the JDK

Step 1:Go to the downloads page and download JDK 8u152. (Don't forget to accept the License Agreement and pick the correct download for your system)!

Step 2: Run the downloaded JDK application. Depending on your operating system, the way you'll do this may vary. Windows users will run the .exe file, Linux kernals will run it from the console (most distributions will run the tar.gz version), and Mac users will run the .dmg file.

Step 2: Run the Netbeans installer, depending on your operating system, the installed product will be different. You'll run it the same way you ran your JDK installer.

Step 3: Accept the licensing agreement, pick your installation path, and check for updates (this will save you time later on). After that, let the installer do it's job.

Step 4: Congratulations! You installed the required IDE! Now we can start programming... Almost.

------- *** -------

Chapter II: What Is a JDK and IDE?

So now you're probably wondering what a JDK and IDE and why we need them. In short, a JDK (Java development kit) is a subset of a SDK (software development kit). The JDK offers a variety of tools for developing, debugging, and monitoring java applications. Essentially, it's the core behind the Java language. Without a JDK, you can't have your Java code.

But what about an IDE? If the JDK gives us the ability to develop Java code, why do we need this? Well, an IDE (integrated development environment) is a program that allows you to easily make project files, test your source code, read error text, catch errors in code before runtime, and hosts a debugger. Not only that, but an IDE offers a quick and responsive function that builds your sourcecode into computer-readable binary, which then turns into an executable code.

There's a lot more information about both the JDK and IDE, but all you really need to know is that a Java IDE requires an updated JDK in order to properly integrate Java code into programs.